Tokyo: Hailey Gates on Her Nuanced Satirization of the U.S. Military in Competition Film ‘Atropia’ 

Kicking off the year with a surprise Sundance win, Hailey Gates’ debut feature Atropia is now lined up in competition at Tokyo International Film Festival. Satirizing the military, the media and the movie business, the film veers from the surreal...

Japanese mother killed, daughter injured by drunk driver

A Japanese tourist in her 50s was hit and killed on Sunday in Seoul by a car driven by a drunk driver. The incident occurred at around 10 p.m. in Jongno-gu near Dongdaemun Station. The suspect, a man in his 30s, hit the woman and her daughter as...

Japanese woman held for 1999 murder says she lived in constant fear of arrest

A 69-year-old woman arrested for a 1999 murder in Nagoya, central Japan, told investigators that she had long feared being caught and felt depressed each year as the anniversary of the killing approached, police said on Monday. Kumiko Yasufuku was...

Japanese tourist killed by drunk driver in Seoul car accident

Published: 03 Nov. 2025, 08:59 A logo of police [YONHAP] A Japanese tourist was killed and another injured after being hit by a car driven by an intoxicated driver in Seoul, police said Monday. The Hyehwa Police Precinct in Seoul said it booked a...

How to travel from Tokyo to Kyoto on the overnight bus and not lose your sanity

Sleep capsule pods on the night bus are an overlooked option for travelling in Japan. Many people, both within Japan and from overseas, have been known to make the journey from Tokyo to Osaka by plane or train, but there is another way to travel —...

Step into Japanese culture with Converse’s new Japan-exclusive shoes featuring gods, sushi style

Take a stroll through neon-lit cities and ancient legends. Converse Japan often shakes up the iconic style of the original Converse shoes by incorporating traditional Japanese designs or collaborations with popular franchises. This season is no...

This Japanese restaurant chain’s triple-decker sushi bowls are a crazy feast for the eyes/stomach

Scaling the tower-don is a food experience you won’t soon forget. Looking at Japanese restaurant menus, you’ll see the suffix “don” come up a lot. It’s short for “donburi,” or rice bowl, and it’s usually used as a suffix. Gyudon, for example, is a...

ILLIT to sing opening song for Japanese animated series

Published: 03 Nov. 2025, 11:18 Girl group ILLIT [BELIFT LAB] Girl group ILLIT will sing the opening song for Japanese animation series "'Tis Time for Torture,' Princess," when the second season starts airing in January next year, according to the...

Chinese film 731’s historical hiccups eclipse anti-Japanese fears

A Chinese historical film about Japan’s wartime atrocities has drawn criticism not for its subject matter, but over what many viewers have described as a clumsy portrayal of one of the darkest chapters of World War II. 731 – a drama centred on the...

Realistic beetle larva jellies become surprise hit for Japanese candy maker Meito

A beetle larva jelly, left, and a beetle pupa jelly are seen after being taken out of their molds at Meito Co.'s offices in Nagoya's Nishi Ward on Oct. 2, 2025. (Mainichi/Shinichiro Kawase) NAGOYA -- Beetle larvae-shaped jellies? When the idea was...

Chloe Zhao’ ‘Hamnet’ and Kore-eda Hirokazu’s ‘After Life’ Move Each Other to Tears at Tokyo Festival: ‘I Couldn’t Stop Crying’

Before Chloe Zhao and Kore-eda Hirokazu sat down for their Tokyo International Film Festival conversation, they had each been crying over the other’s work. Kore-eda watched Zhao’s “Hamnet” in a small screening room with just one other person,...

Tokyo: Fan Bingbing on Rebounding From Her “Lowest Point,” the Grueling Preparation for ‘Mother Bhumi’ and Working in China Again

Returning to Tokyo International Film Festival 15 years after she won best actress for Buddha Mountain in 2010, Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing is winning plaudits for her distinctly unglamorous turn in competition entry Mother Bhumi. Borderline...

Japanese Companies Tell OpenAI to Stop Infringing On Its IP

The Content Overseas Distribution Association (CODA), which represents several major Japanese entertainment companies such as TV studio Toei and game developer Square Enix, recently sent a written request calling on OpenAI to end its unauthorized...

Japanese Embassy donates classrooms at Ubasen Primary School

A donation of six classrooms from the Japanese Embassy has helped Omaruru's Ubasen Primary School overcome overcrowding and phase out the platoon system. Principal Sonja Uwu-Gaes highlighted the achievement during the school's 60th anniversary...

This simple Japanese concept could transform your running

As runners, we love chasing big goals: new distances, faster splits and perfect race days. But progress rarely happens in dramatic jumps. The Japanese idea of Kaizen, which translates to “good change,” is built on the belief that steady, gradual...

Top Japanese baby names for 2025 feature flowers, colors

A lot of thought goes into picking baby names in Japan. Not only do parents have to pick how the name will sound, but also how it’ll be written, since the Japanese language’s system of kanji characters means that there are often multiple ways to...

Headless torso of woman found in Yokohama

The headless torso of a woman was found floating off Yokohama over the weekend, and police are investigating it as a possible case of foul play. The torso was spotted around 10 a.m. Saturday near Yamashita Park in the city's Naka Ward, police...

History-making Japanese golf twins push each other to greater heights

Akie and Chisato Iwai were born just a minute apart and now the identical twins from Japan are making history together on the LPGA Tour. Competing in their debut seasons on the top professional women's golf circuit, Chisato won the Riviera Maya...

Dodgers’ extra-innings win sparks celebration and pride across Tokyo

As the final out was recorded in Toronto, a roar erupted not only from Dodger Stadium, but from bars, cafés and newsstands across Tokyo, thousands of miles away. The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 5-4 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in 11 innings sent fans...

Bomb Squad Investigates Suspicious Package at Kyoto Station, DVD Discovered

KYOTO, Nov 03 (News On Japan) - A suspicious package was discovered at Keihan Railway’s Chushojima Station in Kyoto on November 1st, prompting police to investigate the possibility of an explosive device. According to authorities, around 2:30...